Dataset Information

Enhancement of carbon sequestration in soil in the temperature grasslands of northern China by addition of nitrogen and phosphorus.

ABSTRACT: Increased nitrogen (N) deposition is common worldwide. Questions of where, how, and if reactive N-input influences soil carbon (C) sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems are of great concern. To explore the potential for soil C sequestration in steppe region under N and phosphorus (P) addition, we conducted a field experiment between 2006 and 2012 in the temperate grasslands of northern China. The experiment examined 6 levels of N (0-56 g N m(-2) yr(-1)), 6 levels of P (0-12.4 g P m(-2) yr(-1)), and a control scenario. Our results showed that addition of both N and P enhanced soil total C storage in grasslands due to significant increases of C input from litter and roots. Compared with control plots, soil organic carbon (SOC) in the 0-100 cm soil layer varied quadratically, from 156.8 to 1352.9 g C m(-2) with N addition gradient (R(2) = 0.99, P < 0.001); and logarithmically, from 293.6 to 788.6 g C m(-2) with P addition gradient (R(2) = 0.56, P = 0.087). Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) decreased quadratically with N addition. The net C sequestration on grassland (including plant, roots, SIC, and SOC) increased linearly from -128.6 to 729.0 g C m(-2) under N addition (R(2) = 0.72, P = 0.023); and increased logarithmically, from 248.5 to 698 g C m(-2)under P addition (R(2) = 0.82, P = 0.014). Our study implies that N addition has complex effects on soil carbon dynamics, and future studies of soil C sequestration on grasslands should include evaluations of both SOC and SIC under various scenarios.

SUBMITTER: He N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3795058 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Enhancement of carbon sequestration in soil in the temperature grasslands of northern China by addition of nitrogen and phosphorus.

He Nianpeng N Yu Qiang Q Wang Ruomeng R Zhang Yunhai Y Gao Yang Y Yu Guirui G

PloS one 20131010 10

Increased nitrogen (N) deposition is common worldwide. Questions of where, how, and if reactive N-input influences soil carbon (C) sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems are of great concern. To explore the potential for soil C sequestration in steppe region under N and phosphorus (P) addition, we conducted a field experiment between 2006 and 2012 in the temperate grasslands of northern China. The experiment examined 6 levels of N (0-56 g N m(-2) yr(-1)), 6 levels of P (0-12.4 g P m(-2) yr(-1)) ...[more]

PMID: 24130863

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Project description:Background:Labile carbon input could stimulate soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization through priming effect, resulting in soil carbon (C) loss. Meanwhile, labile C could also be transformed by microorganisms in soil as the processes of new C sequestration and stabilization. Previous studies showed the magnitude of priming effect could be affected by soil depth and nitrogen (N). However, it remains unknown how the soil depth and N availability affect the amount and stability of the new sequestrated C, which complicates the prediction of C dynamics. Methods:A 20-day incubation experiment was conducted by adding 13C labeled glucose and NH4NO3 to study the effects of soil depth and nitrogen addition on the net C sequestration. SOC was fractioned into seven fractions and grouped into three functional C pools to assess the stabilization of the new sequestrated C. Results:Our results showed that glucose addition caused positive priming in both soil depths, and N addition significantly reduced the priming effect. After 20 days of incubation, deep soil had a higher C sequestration potential (48% glucose-C) than surface soil (43% glucose-C). The C sequestration potential was not affected by N addition in both soil depths. Positive net C sequestration was observed with higher amount of retained glucose-C than that of stimulated mineralized SOC for both soil depths. The distribution of new sequestrated C in the seven fractions was significantly affected by soil depth, but not N addition. Compared to deep soil, the new C in surface soil was more distributed in the non-protected C pool (including water extracted organic C, light fraction and sand fraction) and less distributed in the clay fraction. These results suggested that the new C in deep soil was more stable than that in surface soil. Compared to the native SOC for both soil depths, the new sequestrated C was more distributed in non-protected C pool and less distributed in biochemically protected C pool (non-hydrolyzable silt and clay fractions). The higher carbon sequestration potential and stability in deep soil suggested that deep soil has a greater role on C sequestration in forest ecosystems.

Project description:Nitrogen (N) deposition and its ecological effects on forest ecosystems have received global attention. Plantations play an important role in mitigating climate change through assimilating atmospheric CO2. However, the mechanisms by which increasing N additions affect net ecosystem production (NEP) of plantations remain poorly understood. A field experiment was initialized in May 2009, which incorporated additions of four rates of N (control (no N addition), low-N (5 g N m?² yr?¹), medium-N (10 g N m?² yr?¹), and high-N (15 g N m?² yr?¹) at the Saihanba Forestry Center, Hebei Province, northern China, a locality that contains the largest area of plantations in China. Net primary production (NPP), soil respiration, and its autotrophic and heterotrophic components were measured. Plant tissue carbon (C) and N concentrations (including foliage, litter, and fine roots), microbial biomass, microbial community composition, extracellular enzyme activities, and soil pH were also measured. N addition significantly increased NPP, which was associated with increased litter N concentrations. Autotrophic respiration (AR) increased but heterotrophic respiration (HR) decreased in the high N compared with the medium N plots, although the HR in high and medium N plots did not significantly differ from that in the control. The increased AR may derive from mycorrhizal respiration and rhizospheric microbial respiration, not live root respiration, because fine root biomass and N concentrations showed no significant differences. Although the HR was significantly suppressed in the high-N plots, soil microbial biomass, composition, or activity of extracellular enzymes were not significantly changed. Reduced pH with fertilization also could not explain the pattern of HR. The reduction of HR may be related to altered microbial C use efficiency. NEP was significantly enhanced by N addition, from 149 to 426.6 g C m?² yr?¹. Short-term N addition may significantly enhance the role of plantations as an important C sink.

Project description:Background:Soil microbial communities and their associated enzyme activities play key roles in carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil microbial communities are sensitive to resource availability, but the mechanisms of microbial regulation have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we tested the mechanistic relationships between microbial responses and multiple interacting resources. Methods:We examined soil carbon properties, soil microbial community structure and carbon-related functions under nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal (litter removal (NL), root trench and litter removal (NRL)) in a pure Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in northern China. Results:We found that nitrogen addition affected the soil microbial community structure, and that microbial biomass increased significantly once 100 kg ha-1 a-1 of nitrogen was added. The interactions between nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal significantly affected soil bacteria and their enzymatic activities (oxidases). The NL treatment enhanced soil microbial biomass under nitrogen addition. We also found that the biomass of gram-negative bacteria and saprotrophic fungi directly affected the soil microbial functions related to carbon turnover. The biomass of gram-negative bacteria and peroxidase activity were key factors controlling soil carbon dynamics. The interactions between nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal strengthened the correlation between the hydrolases and soil carbon. Conclusions:This study showed that nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal could alter soil enzyme activities and further affect soil carbon turnover via microbial regulation. The increase in soil microbial biomass and the microbial regulation of soil carbon both need to be considered when developing effective sustainable forest management practices for northern China. Moreover, further studies are also needed to exactly understand how the complex interaction between the plant and below-ground processes affects the soil microbial community structure.

Dataset Information

Enhancement of carbon sequestration in soil in the temperature grasslands of northern China by addition of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Publications

Enhancement of carbon sequestration in soil in the temperature grasslands of northern China by addition of nitrogen and phosphorus.

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